75 Blessings

In July, the rainy season arrives in Castleton, and all the plants in the city become lush and green. The morning sunlight shines through the trees into the streets in beams.

Roy was supposed to be on duty at the temple this weekend, but today he has to come to the gladiatorial arena in the Upper District.

It had just rained before dawn, and now the sky had cleared, but there were still water stains everywhere on the stone pavement.

Roy sat in the Long Carriage, holding a very heavy leather suitcase in his arms, and quietly watched the Long Carriage enter the Upper District.

The Upper District of Castleton is the home of the Silver Moon Elf.

The Lower District is the residential area for the Half-Elf.

There is a very clear dividing line between the two districts, which is a cliff that winds around the mountainside. The narrow cliff face has a drop of less than ten meters. The top of the cliff has been built into a strip of stone road by the Silver Moon Elf. This stone road leads to the Upper District of Castleton.

There is actually a stone-paved road built below the cliff, but this road is somewhat rugged and more like a narrow alley.

Five main streets connect the Lower District and the Lower District Upper District by cutting through the rock face, forming the most bustling commercial streets in Castleton City.

At the intersection of the main street and the rocky cliff, the master elf architects designed a huge arched stone bridge with gentle steps on both sides.

Stone Sculpture of the Silver Moon Elf heroes stand on both sides of the arched stone bridge, with a patch of flowers planted beneath each Stone Sculpture, and the outermost part is surrounded by a low wall of shrubs...

The cliff is now covered with vines, and if you don't go into the city, you can't see the cliff at all when looking at this hillside from the sea.

The buildings in Castleton's upper and lower town areas are quite different. In the Lower District, many buildings are terraced houses made of stone. These terraced houses are built on the hillside and change with the shape of the hill.

Of course, these row houses are not all made of stone. The stones are stacked up to two stories high, and then the structure is made of wood.

There are many row houses in the Lower District, and they are built in a very orderly manner.

When we got to the seaside area, almost all the buildings there were wooden houses...

Roy's house was a small wooden house with a two-foot-high base made of piled stones.

Once you enter the Upper District, you'll find that the buildings in the Lower District seem to have suddenly disappeared.

Here... almost all the houses where the Silver Moon Elf live are treehouses.

The Silver Moon Elf built their homes on some large trees, which were not arranged in an orderly manner on the hillside. Even the stone-paved roads in the Upper District were winding, and gardens and lawns were everywhere. There were fountains at street corners not far apart.

Of course, this is just the residential area of ordinary Silver Moon Elf in the Upper District, and does not include the Elf Academy, library, opera house, art gallery, etc.

The Elf Academy is located in the heart of Castleton, but on a hillside outside the cliff.

Following the main road upwards, you can reach the mountaintop, where you'll find not only a colossal Stone Sculpture of a Silver Moon Elf, but also the Tree of Life Tree of Life of Castleton City, where the Castleton Elven Council of Elders is located...

This street also has various guilds, the largest being the Mercenary Guild, Adventurers' Guild, and Magic Guild. Of course, there are also some Magic Herbalist Association, Jewelry Association, Mining Union Guild, Leather Craftsmen Association, Metallurgical Forgers' Home, and so on.

In fact, the architectural style of the Elf Academy is predominantly treehouse style, and at least three of the Teaching Building were carved out of ancient trees, with lush branches and leaves on the roof.

The houses where the Elven Nobles lived were not actually castles like those of human nobles, or manors enclosed by walls.

Silvermoon Elven Nobles like to build their homes on large ancient trees, Klayr's home has a tall ancient tree...

The gladiatorial arena in Castleton City is at least several kilometers away from the Elf Academy; it is already on the outskirts of the city.

Roy, Jasper, Abbott stepped down from the carriage and discovered that the enormous arena, from the outside, looked like the stump of a tree root the size of a football field—the remains of a dead Tree of Life.

The tree root has now begun to petrify, and is covered with green vines.

The elven craftsmen built a narrow staircase along the tree roots outside, at the end of which was a huge wooden door, with two Elven Guard standing on either side of the door.

Going further in, you'll enter a passage carved out of tree roots.

Jasper and Abbott, dressed in the robes of Novice Priest, followed behind Roy, who was carrying a large leather trunk. The three of them walked to the gate and were wondering how to talk to the two guards so that they would let them through.

I heard there's an entrance fee to the arena, but this place looks deserted and rather desolate.

"Roy, Jasper, Abbott, come in quickly."

Klayr wore an exquisite leather armor set, with an Ironwood Short Sword at her waist. The leather surface of the armor was embossed with some very gorgeous dark patterns, and even the buttons were gold and silver. After wearing this leather armor, Klayr's feminine aura was greatly reduced.

He ran from the passage to the door and called to Roy, Jasper, and Abbott to hurry up and go inside.

"Klayr, do we need an entrance fee here?"

Jasper looked around and found that there was no one else there...

Klayr walked over to Roy and saw that he was carrying a huge leather trunk with a Wooden Shield and a One-Handed Hammer hanging on the outside. She slapped her forehead in exasperation.

Then he said to Jasper:

"Don't you all know that the Elder Council canceled all for-profit events in the arena three years ago? Since then, this place has become no different from some ancient ruins."

"Only nobles like to come here to resolve disputes. When they can't reach an agreement on something, everyone will come here to settle it, and it has gradually become a habit..."

Klayr patted Roy's suitcase and led the three into the wooden passageway, saying:

"Roy, I told my sister about the battle plan yesterday. She agreed with it, but she didn't recommend you wear Chain Mail. She thinks it's too heavy for you. Actually, there are Heavy Leather Armor sets that are a little lighter than Chain Mail. Would you like to try them?"

Roy shook his head and said to Klayr, "Wear this. I've been practicing in it for days, and I'm getting used to it..."

"Alright, we'll do it your way!" Klayr agreed readily without hesitation.

The passageway wasn't too stuffy, but it had a musty, decaying smell.

Perhaps because it's the rainy season, everything is very humid, and some of the damp places have even grown mushrooms.

These wooden steps have been stepped on countless times; many of them are lower in the middle and higher on the sides, and are severely worn.

Only the painted walls on all four sides are visible.

Jasper couldn't help but ask, "Why don't I see anyone else? Roy, didn't you say that many students from the Elementary Martial Arts training class were coming to watch the match?"

Klayr walked ahead, turning her head to reply, "They all go through the other spectator entrance. Our entrance is for the gladiators. Steve and Adams enter from the opposite entrance."

Abbott said, "I mean... why is that staircase outside so narrow..."

The passage was less than forty meters long, and the four of them quickly reached the end. Through the archway, they could see that the outside was brightly lit, just like entering a stadium.

The huge, round tree stump was hollow in the middle, so the elves carved out a grandstand around it, and the hollow core of the tree became the arena.

The arena below was at least eight meters below the stands above. A group of elven students from Elementary Martial Arts training class were sitting in the stands, chatting amongst themselves. When they saw Klayr and Roy appear on this side of the stands, they all waved to the two of them.

There were other spectators around the stands, and the elves gathered on Klayr's side were Klayr's relatives and friends.

Roy spotted Miss Belle Klayr. She was surrounded by a group of young elves, seemingly chatting about something interesting.

Across from them were Steve and Adams, and their side of the stands seemed to have even more friends and family...

Stepping into the arena's stands, the sunlight was somewhat dazzling...

Roy was still thinking about what High Priest Reed had said to him in the temple that morning, "Roy, do you know how many kinds of blessings there are in divine magic?"

High Priest Reed stood beneath the statue in the Main Hall and asked Roy a question.

Roy looked up at the Goddess of Freedom Statue, then replied:

"I know about the Strength Blessing; I've already learned it!"

High Priest Reed approached him and said, "In the kingdom of the gods, the Goddess of Goddess of Freedom is not the only deity who wields the Holy Light Power, but only the angels possess the blessing power of holy light, and these blessings are Goddess learned from the archangels."

"It is said that the Goddess learned a total of eight blessings, but as far as I know, there are only four. I have only learned three of them so far: the Blessing of Protection created by the Courage Archangel Imperius, the Strength Blessing created by the Justice Archangel Tyrael, and the Wisdom Blessing created by the Wisdom Angel Malthael."

Roy never imagined there could be so many kinds of blessings, nor did he expect that holy light wasn't unique to the Goddess of Freedom...

At this moment, High Priest Reed continued, "Roy, you must remember that each Priest can only choose one archangel to stand behind him in battle, so this Priest can only bestow one blessing power upon his companion."

"Now that you have learned the Strength Blessing, before this battle, I will bestow upon you... the Blessing of Protection of the Courage Archangel Imperius."

Before Roy could react, the divine runes in front of High Priest Reed shattered instantly, and a shield appeared on Roy's chest, slowly merging into his body.